We have been on the road for about 7 weeks and have anchored in 35 different anchorages, from Puerto Montt to the San Rafael Glacier and back to Quinched (William's Place). The days are getting much shorter and we are using our heater daily. We have covered about 850 miles in the first two regions of the Patagonian archipelago, that is Chiloe and the Guicateca Island areas. From what we hear, we have just touched the surface. But for this year that will be enough. We are cleaning up Frannie B and getting ready for our friends Jean and Colin Jones to arrive for the cruise back to Puerto Montt. We will revisit many of our favorite spots and then put Frannie B back in the "Patio," (hardstand) in Puerto Montt and fly to Easter Island before heading back to Seattle for the summer.
Reflections on this year:
The Chilean people are some of the friendliest, kindest and most honest we have come across.
Salmoneras have replaced the local fishing industry completely. There is much discussion about the pros and cons of this economic change.
We are among a very small number of foreign cruising boats that choose to come here. The majority that do come are French.
Chilean Spanish is sooooo hard to understand. I will keep working on it. The Chileans are patient with us and the few who do speak English are have so much to share.
We look forward to coming back next year and continuing our adventure to the bottom of the World.